Breaking Point
by Ash-Boss
Summary: Genderbent dark!LadyNoir. Aka my children have flaws and Chat's/Adrienne's catches up to her. (Inspired by the new episode: Adrien, why do you think so little of yourself? ;n;)


Lady Beetle knew the moment he stepped foot on the rooftop that something was very wrong. It wasn't a kind of wrong he could see exactly, but more of a wrong he could sense. He felt it in the way he breathed in the night air, his throat becoming heavy and his breathing coming out ragged; his body vibrated in alertness as if he felt a presence looming behind him; the clouds and Parisan lights seemed less beautiful and more haunting; Chat's back continued to stare at him instead of bright, green eyes that usually looked back at him once he stepped a little too loudly near her.

"Chat Noir?" He called out to her but his words fell on deaf ears. When he closed the distance between them, he squeezed her shoulder. "Chat, is something…."

He froze in horror as his partner stared blankly out into the night, tears trickled down her face and a glowing projection of a butterfly framed her mask. Lady Beetle pulled back as if burned and reached down to his belt, placing a weary hand on yo-yo. He called out to her in warning, hoping that somehow he wasn't too late.

However, when she finally turned to acknowledge him, her eyes glowed purple, her hair became even more wild, and white began to taint her black suit. "Chat, what are you doing? You know Hawkmoth can't help you. Just tell me what's going on."

She smirked at him but it didn't reach her eyes. Not like all those times she'd make a flirtatious comment at him or said one of the worst puns ever. Her hands shook as she reached for her baton and she slowly crouched as if ready to pounce on him. Her eyes dropped to the ground as her brows furrowed. "Hawkmoth is the only one who needs me!"

And with that, she jumped towards him, baton rose high and just a few inches above his head. Lady Beetle's yo-yo was out before she could hit him, the string keeping the weapon at bay. She hovered over him angrily. "You can handle the akumas on your own, right? As long as I'm the decoy, the sidekick waiting for your orders? I'm the 'destructive one'! You don't need me, but Hawkmoth does!"

Lady Beetle froze at her words, giving her the opening she needed. Her baton rose off the yo-yo's string before swinging under it and hitting him across his face with a snap. He stepped back from the force, blood instantly flowing from his nose. He couldn't understand why Chat was acting like this. She knew he needed her. He'd said it enough times to reassure her… right?

Before he could get his bearings, her baton flew into Lady Beetle's side. Her force was enough to push him down and make him gasp for air. He laid on the ground, pressing his fingers lightly against his side. He was pretty sure she broke a rib or two. "Chat... I _do_ need you... Just... let me help you."

She dropped her baton before crawling over him and pulling him up by his spandex until he was close enough to feel the heat radiating off her skin. Her bottom lip quivered, and Lady Beetle watched as her feelings boiled over into her akuma-tranced state. Tears began to slide down her cheeks again as she glared down at him.

"You're a liar… All of you are. I'm always the one protecting, but who's there to protect me?" Her voice cracked. "No one. No one cares about me! How I feel! Not my mom, not my friends, and not even you!"

She punched Lady Beetle across the face again and again until he felt light headed. He wondered how he was supposed to explain this one to his parents. Maybe he wouldn't even get the chance to with how dizzy and sick he felt.

"I'm supposed to be perfect," she cried. "Sit up straight, keep your waist thin, smile but not too much." She stopped her punches to reach for something at her waist. Their eyes followed her hand where it clasped tightly onto a little handmade charm hanging off her belt…

Lady Beetle gasped as he looked back up into Chat Noir's eyes- no, _Adrienne's_ eyes. He couldn't believe it. How had he not figured it out sooner? Although Adrienne was the embodiment of cool, calm, and collected, he had witnessed plenty of her smirks, plenty of her dorkiness and relaxed moments outside of modeling to put those pieces together. That Adrienne was Chat Noir. However, it seemed his image of her kept him from seeing the truth. Adrienne and Chat were hurting right now, and a lot of it was his fault.

The purple butterfly returned to Chat's face, and Lady Beetle watched as her eyes flickered to his ears. Her hand loosened its hold on the charm he had given to Adrienne months before, but Lady Beetle reached out and grasped her hand around it before she could begin her task in retrieving his miraculous.

"Chat, Adrienne… I'm sorry." His hand tightened around hers until the sound of a charm breaking echoed in their ears. Her eyes widened as a black butterfly fluttered out of their grasp. Lady Beetle slid out from underneath her carefully before cleansing the butterfly and letting it fly freely into the night.

As he watched it go, he wondered how he was to go about this new information. Was he supposed to tell her he knew who she was or let it go? He shook his head. That decision wasn't important right now. He needed to have a little talk with his partner first.

Lady Beetle watched as Chat returned to her normal self. She pressed a clawed hand wearily against her wet cheek before she realized he was there and she jumped to her feet. She looked him over before fresh tears began to flow down her face and he winced. How many times that day had he made her cry?

Chat bawled as she wrapped herself around him. "What happened to you?"

He patted her hair and cooed against her neck as she shook in his arms. She squeezed his shoulders in the embrace which hurt like hell, but he couldn't let this moment pass. She needed this. "Chat, I'm sorry…"

"What are you talking about?" She pulled away enough to inspect his bloody face. Her eyelashes began to clump together and the red rim around her eyes peaked through her mask. "I… someone hurt you and I wasn't there to protect you."

Her fingers lightly traced his cheekbones and jaw before Lady Beetle's hand grasped her wrist lightly. "Chat. You needed my support, and I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner. Please… just stay by me. I _need_ you… And I promise not to let anyone hurt you again."

He hugged her tight against him, ignoring the way his body ached and how flustered he felt knowing that this was also Adrienne he was holding. Eventually, he pulled away not sure if he had said enough, but she smiled warmly down at him, and he left before she could notice how red his face was under the mask. He promised to himself that he'd remind Chat what she meant to him every day if he had to, even if his partner was just going to brush it off with flirtatious comments.

The next morning, Adrienne woke before dawn, something startling her awake. Her vision blurred from last night's marathon of crying made it difficult to keep her eyes open, but she pushed herself out of bed, sure she had heard a knock on her window. As she grew closer to the stained glass, she felt the morning breeze blow against her shins, her nightgown flowing lightly behind her.

She peeked outside her window for her unknown guest before stepping on something plastic and looking down at a wrapped dozen of chocolate chip cookies staring up at her. With wide eyes, she licked her bottom lip before retrieving the bag of cookies and looking over the small card attached to it.

 _I heard you liked sweets and supposedly this bakery has some of the best cookies._

Adrienne smiled down at the bag as she read the scribbled writing and recognized the Duplain-Cheng's bakery sign on the card. Ignoring the words her mother had spoken to her the day before, she ripped the bag open and took a bite. Somehow, with one bite and the thought that someone was out there caring for her, everything seemed much better.


End file.
